1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a garage, and, more particularly, to a garage which is readily erected and disassembled and is secured in place by adding ballast, such as water, to cavities at the base of the walls. The structure is designed to be disposed atop a flat surface such as a blacktop driveway or a concrete slab without physical attachment thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, the automobile has been cared for in innumerable creative ways. The romance with the automobile has led to devices and structures ranging from cloth covers tailored, like raincoats to fit the make and model of the automobile, to detached three- and four-car garages, some replete with living quarters for the chauffeur and his spouse. All of these have sought to protect the automobile from the elementsxe2x80x94both natural and corrosivexe2x80x94including, of course, sun, precipitation and acid rain, salt air and industrial pollution.
Also, garage construction has usually been dominated by conventional construction methods involving footings or foundations and has paid little attention to the ability of being knocked down and re-erected at another site.
As will be seen in the patent discussion which follows, xe2x80x9cJersey-typexe2x80x9d barriers have not been widely adapted to structures. In the solid form, the Jersey barrier has been used for a multilevel roadway structure. In 1987 the ballast-containing form of the Jersey barrier was introduced and the adaptive use thereof includes a highway sign support device.
In preparing for the parent application, several United States patents became known to the inventor hereof. The familiarity resulted from a review of several subclasses of Classes 52, 135, and 404, which review produced the following patents:
McKeownxe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,020
The patent discloses a pre-fabricated reinforced concrete multi-level roadway structure. The structure is erected so as to cover an existing lane on a roadway and is assembled from modules that are cast, transported, and moved, as needed. The cover of the lower roadway forms the roadway of the upper lane with the bottom section thereof consisting of two xe2x80x9cJersey-typexe2x80x9d barriers.
Robinsonxe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,228 and de Ridderxe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,991
These patents disclose the use of water ballasted, inflatable tunnel systems for pressurized tunnel-type greenhouses. The tunnels are generally semicircular in cross section.
Spraguexe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,585
This patent discloses a portable xe2x80x9cJersey-typexe2x80x9d highway barrier constructed of light weight material and has an interior cavity which can be filled with a fluid ballast. The barrier includes vertical slots which support a highway sign.
Pincusxe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,767
This patent discloses a prefabricated building construction including a prefabricated utility core which contains the entire power supply for a building.
Hitchinsxe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,205
This patent discloses the associating of a conventional form for in-situ casting of concrete foundations with a pair of sacrificial adjuncts, including reinforcement pins, rods, and hook-bolts.
Henselxe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 1,540,988
This 1923 patent discloses a portable shelter adapted to minimize the effectiveness of aerial bomb attacks. A netting or protective structure is stretched across and arranged to overlie the object to be protected, which netting is supported so as to yield at the moment of impact.
Lawsonxe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,405
This patent discloses a lightweight, portable shelter which can be compactly folded up when not in use, and is erectable in various configurations to provide different types of canopies or shades.
Collierxe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,335
This patent discloses a prefabricated shelter which consists of an arched framework having open opposite ends, an anchoring structure for securing the footing of the framework to the ground, and a roof assembly mounted to the top of the arched framework.
Montoyaxe2x80x94U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,966
This patent discloses a vehicle enclosure for storing and protecting a vehicle. The enclosure has a base plate and a shell-like cover disposed thereover which, in turn, is hinged to the base plate. A retractable dolly is coupled to the cover with the dolly positionable in a retracted mode for placing the vehicle enclosure in a stowed configuration and in an extended mode for placing the vehicle enclosure in a transportable configuration.
The citing of the above patents is not intended as an admission that any such patent constitutes prior art against the claims of the present application. Applicant does not waive any right to take any action that would be appropriate to antedate or otherwise remove any listed document as a competent reference against the claims of the present application.
Many technical problems relating to surface-mounted portable structures are overcome or resolved by the invention disclosed herein. In contradistinction to the parent case, the method of manufacturing the major components hereof, namely, the vertical-support-holding base connector and the cavity-containing wall base are substantially improved. In the base connector, for example, an open-ended metal sleeve forms the inner part of the base connector mold, and, during manufacture, the sleeve is molded into the base connector. In this application, while the structure described is a portable garage, the same construction techniques are applicable to smaller structures, such as tool sheds and shopping cart corrals. The innovative approach and other improvements over the parent case become apparent in the description which follows.
The present invention is directed to a portable garage with ballast-containing base. The garage is readily assembled at a chosen site without physical attachment thereto and disassembled for erection at another site. Base segments or portions, which are elongated and extend along the sidewalls of the garage, are configured with a cavity therein. The cavity for receiving ballast is, after the erection of the portable garage, filled with water, sand or gravel. The weight of the ballast stabilizes the structure. The elongated wall bases have extensions or tabs which interlock with a base connector. An aperture through the connector houses a support or column member and, upon the sidewall being assembled and set up, the columns are substantially, vertically disposed. The interposing of the two base portionsxe2x80x94one onto the otherxe2x80x94is such that the weight of the ballast-containing base is exerted upon the column-receiving base portions. Between the support members a roof is attached. The roof is either prefabricated attaching directly to the support members or is assembled from discrete components mounted on roof beams or trusses which are mounted to the support members.
The ballast-container or wall base has a cavity for receiving ballast and is a lightweight, molded plastic construct of high-impact, UV resistant material. A typical base unit weighs 6 to 7 lbs per linear foot and, typically upon loading with ballast, 80 to 120 lbs. per linear foot. The base is equipped with suitable inlet ports and outlet ports for the addition and removal of ballast, namely, water, sand or gravel. The column base connectors which interlock with the ballast-container wall base are further provided with a metal sleeve or tube insert. In the present embodiment this is a square aluminum tube. Each tube forms the inner portion of the mold used in the manufacture of the base connector. The base connectors, which are manufactured from thermoplastic material, are molded around the sleeves. The sleeves have retainer grooves which, upon the thermoplastic material reaching a molten state, receive the molten material therein. After curing, the sleeves are retained by the base connector. Each base connector is made in a stepped configuration which is overlapped by the upper portion of the wall base.
The upper portion of the base connector has a fixed spline which interlocks with the keyway of the upper portion of the wall base. On the sides adjacent to the fixed spline and on the side opposite the fixed spline, lands are formed permitting the attachment of mountable spline(s) and thereby adapting the connector to a 90xc2x0, 180xc2x0 or T-configuration. The sleeves are designed to accept vertical support members in a telescopic relation therewith. Jacking screws are attached to the lower face of the base connector for levelling purposes, and, upon levelling bring the support members into vertical alignment.
After erecting the portable garage, the ballast containers are filled through the inlet port with a ballast material of choice. Upon disassembly for relocating the structure, the ballast material is removed through the drain port. For ease of handling, the ballast containers nest for compact storage and transport.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a shelter which is a readily erected and readily disassembled structure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sturdy, free-standing structure that is erectable on a concrete or blacktop surface.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a garage structure with ballast-containing walls.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a structure which is erected and disassembled using simple tools, and, upon disassembly, can be readily relocated.
It is a feature of the present invention that the weight of the ballast is sufficient to securely mount the garage structure to the floor.
It is another feature of the present invention to have the ballast-containing wall portions interlockingly engage the column bases so as to provide support and stabilization therefor.
Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent upon review of the drawings and the detailed description which follow.